Meet My Kids
by elsiecarson
Summary: Dave and Erin are in a relationship and Erin decides it's finally time for him to meet her kids. She invites her kids to dinner, which Dave cooks so they can both relax. Do they succeed?
1. Nervous

Erin is getting fidgety sitting in Dave's kitchen. Her kids are coming to dinner to meet Dave for the first time. "Erin, please quit it! You're making me even more nervous!"

"Sorry David. I'd probably be better if I could have a drink. I'd be more relaxed, but don't worry I'm not going to. How do I look?" Erin asks yet again.

"You look beautiful, Erin. You don't need to worry. Your kids won't be critical of how you look. I must admit I'm worried about tonight. The only thing I'm sure of is the food. I didn't pick a wine for tonight. I thought a little bit of solidarity with you would be helpful tonight." Dave tells Erin as he stirs a sauce that is simmering on the stove.

"Dave, you didn't have to do that. I don't mind if other people around me drink. In fact, if you have a glass of wine you might relax a little bit." Erin teases Dave.

"You might be right, but I'm not going to subject you to that. I don't want to jeopardize your sobriety and I'm sure that your kids wouldn't appreciate it either." Dave says seriously.

"You're probably right. My kids wouldn't appreciate it. I can't wait to see my kids though. I miss them when I don't see them." Erin hops down off her stool, walks over to Dave, wraps her arms around his waist, and leans her head against his back.

Dave smiles softly and turns around in Erin's arms. He kisses her gently and says, "You just relax and enjoy tonight. Don't worry about me."


	2. First Moments

Suddenly the doorbell rings. "I'll go and answer the door. You keep cooking and I'll go get my kids. You try and relax." Erin says. The moment the doorbell rang Dave saw Erin light up. Erin quickly walks to the front door and opens it. "Hi you guys. Come on in."

"Hi mom. It's great to see you. The house is amazing! Where's your apron?" Erin's daughter asks teasing her mother.

"You don't have to worry. I'm not cooking tonight. David is cooking. He's in the kitchen, so why don't we go in and I'll introduce you." Erin hugs each of her children in turn before she leads them into the kitchen. "David, my kids are here."

Dave turns around from his place at the stove and wipes his hands on the tea towel hanging from his belt. He's holding a spoon in one hand. "Well, welcome everyone. Your mom's told me a lot about all of you. I'm glad you could all come. Feel free to ask any questions you want. I'm just trying to get this sauce just right. Erin can you taste this for me?" Dave asks as he holds a spoon out for Erin to try and taste his sauce.

Erin leans forward and tastes Dave's sauce. "It's nice, but it's a bit acidic yet for your red sauce. Should I put the meat and cheese out and you can fiddle with the sauce and anything else you need to work on?"

"Sure, the cold meat and cheese board is in the fridge. There's a sparkling, non-alcoholic wine in there too. I'll see what I can do with this sauce. It's not far off from where it needs to be." Dave says to Erin.

Erin opens the fridge and pulls the meat and cheese plate and the non-alcoholic wine out. She sets the plate down on the marble countertop and opens the wine. She perches herself on a stool and sips the wine. She watches her kids interact with each other. They've always gotten along so well.


	3. Details

"So mom, how long have you and Dave been dating?" Erin's oldest son asks.

"Um," Erin pauses and thinks for a minute. She's a little bit unsure on the specifics.

"Ten months, two weeks, and four days." Dave says turning to look at Erin's kids.

"Mom, you've been dating someone for almost a year and we didn't get to meet him until now! Seriously, that's too long to keep us in the dark." Erin's youngest son says angrily.

"We just wanted to be secure in our relationship before I told you about David. Besides, Dave is away a lot for work so it took us a little while to get settled with each other. Not only that it's very difficult to get all five of us in the same city at the same time." Erin says seriously. She sips the liquid in her glass and tries not to get upset with her kids.

"What is it you do, Dave?" Erin's eldest son asks the man at the stove.

"I work for the FBI. I'm part of the Behavioural Analysis Unit. In my spare time, which I admit there isn't a lot of, I write books. When I'm not doing either of those things the rest of my time is spent with your mother." Dave says honestly.

"Wait, so mom's your boss? Is that awkward?" Erin's daughter, Jenny, asks.

"Yes, she is my boss and it can be awkward especially when my colleagues get going and are teasing us, but we always get through it. Your mother won't put up with it for long. They only tease because they care, but they can push more than is polite." Dave says honestly.

"It can certainly be awkward, but Dave has been really supportive through everything." Erin picks up a piece of meat and some cheese.


	4. Comfort and Domesticity

"Can you pour me a glass of that wine when you have hands please?" Dave says. He's arranging cannelloni in individual size dishes for their main course. "I didn't know if anyone was vegetarian so I did a cheese filling for the pasta and a plain tomato sauce. Where did you put the shredded cheese Erin?" Dave asks pouring the tomato sauce onto the pasta.

"It's on top of the eggs." Erin says as she pours Dave a glass of wine.

Dave finds the cheese where Erin said it was and tops each dish of pasta with cheese. He decides to wait to put the pasta in the oven until they have the appetizer. "Alright, maybe I can sit and enjoy for a while now." Dave sits on a stool next to Erin and he feel her relax. He starts eating some of the snacks he put together.

Erin smiles at Dave. He's comfortable here in his own house and that's what she wanted for tonight.

"Mom, you look so happy. It's nice to see. You haven't looked like that in a long time."


End file.
